New Delhi, 08th October 2026: Blue Moon Minty Jamun, from House of NV Group, has won a Gold medal at The Vodka Masters 2026 in London, organised as part of The Spirits Business’ Global Spirits Masters Competitions. The expression was recognised in the Flavoured/Infused Vodka category, placing it among the Gold medallists in a blind tasting of international vodka entries.
The recognition is particularly notable for the profile it represents. Blue Moon Minty Jamun brings together the tart fruitiness of jamun and the cooling character of mint, translating a distinctly Indian flavour pairing into a contemporary vodka. The result gives NV Group an international accolade for an expression that is rooted in a flavour vocabulary familiar to the Indian palate, rather than following more conventional flavoured-vodka cues.
The Vodka Masters is one of the specialist competitions under the Global Spirits Masters Competitions, established by The Spirits Business in 2008. The competition is built around blind tastings, with spirits assessed on their own merits by independent specialist judges and awarded Silver, Gold or Master medals.
The 2026 judging panels brought together expertise from across the drinks industry, including Melita Kiely, Editor-in-Chief of The Spirits Business and Chair of the Global Spirits Masters Competitions; spirits writer and consultant David T Smith; drinks consultant and India market specialist Ruchira Neotia; spirits buyer Bryan Rodriguez-Curtis; bartender and spirits professional Luciano Marino of The Savoy, London; and drinks educators and consultants including Marie Cheong-Thong and Matt Chambers. The breadth of the panel reflects the competition’s trade-focused approach to evaluating spirits.
Varun Jain, CEO & Founder, Smoke Lab, NV Group, said, “The value of this recognition lies in the fact that the product was judged blind, without the context of the brand or the story behind it. Minty Jamun was conceived around a flavour that is unmistakably Indian, but our intent was never to make that the novelty. The challenge was to create a vodka where the flavour itself had enough definition and balance to stand on its own. A Gold at The Vodka Masters gives us a useful external measure of how that proposition is being received by experienced spirits professionals.”
Blue Moon Minty Jamun is a rice-based flavoured vodka, triple distilled and bottled at 37.5% ABV. Launched in India in 2026, the expression forms part of NV Group’s growing portfolio of contemporary spirits.
The Gold recognition adds to a growing conversation around Indian spirits finding new ways to express local flavour and drinking culture, while competing on increasingly global benchmarks.
ABOUT NV GROUP
Founded and led by industry veteran Ashok Jain, NV Group is one of India’s leading integrated alcobev companies with over three decades of expertise spanning grain to glass. With a strong focus on innovation, quality and sustainable production, the Group has built a diverse portfolio across vodka, gin, whisky, rum, brandy and beer, with operations across India and exports to key global markets including the USA, UK and UAE. Under the leadership of Founder & CEO Varun Jain, Smoke Lab, NV Group continues to shape the future of premium Indian spirits through contemporary, design-led brands such as Smoke Lab, India’s first premium rice vodka, and Mohulo, India’s first art-forward sipping gin. Rooted in a philosophy of accessible luxury and modern Indian craftsmanship, House of NV is driving a new wave of globally relevant spirits from India.
